<p>I am trying to start a community service foundation, any ideas?</p>
<p>Why? The “student starting a charity” thing is so nakedly obvious in your situation, no one will be impressed. Your singular posts reeks of resume padding.</p>
<p>If instead, you had said: “I would like to see Xaccomplished in my community but other charities (Red Cross, United Way, etc.) don’t seem to be focused on it. How can I rally some support for my cause?” People might believe you actually have selfless intentions</p>
<p>Instead, you ask for ideas of how to create a vehicle to make you look good.</p>
<p>Hint for you: Everytime I interview someone who “started” a club or charity or foundation, my first question is: “What was so broken in the other multiple charities in your area that you felt compelled to start your own?”</p>
<p>I already have my service program. I just want to expand it. I am not trying to build up a resum</p>
<p>If you really want to do this, be prepared to spend time and money on legal and financial paperwork. You won’t have time to do the program if you’re doing all the administrative stuff. And what happens when you leave for college? Who will take over? Again, the administrative stuff tends to be boring and time consuming. And it’s unlikely you’ll find a volunteer to do it, so you’ll need to pay someone. Then you’re looking at labor laws and taxation regulations.</p>
<p>And colleges really won’t be impressed.</p>
<p>But if you still want to do it, find a nonprofit management center at a local college or nonprofit organization. Also ask at your local library. Be prepared to spend a few hundred dollars and some hours to learn the regulations and procedures.</p>
<p>Thanks, I was thinking of making my foundation and then making service trips so that my peers can gain their service hours as well through my foundation.</p>
<p>Again, many adcoms don’t like service trips. Students don’t have the training or experience to make a difference in another part of the world. They ignore large problems in this country. And the trips tend to be expensive. So you wouldn’t be doing your friends any favors by getting them involved in this.</p>
<p>Oh no, don’t try to arrange service trips for other high school students. The last thing you want is to be responsible for the safety and welfare of a bunch of minors in a developing country. That is a legal disaster waiting to happen.</p>
<p>Instead of asking strangers what you should do, think about your own experience doing community service, and ask yourself the following two questions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Of the millions of small injustices in the world, what do you think is the worst?</p></li>
<li><p>What unique skills, talents, and resources do you have to contribute to making the world a better place (be creative)?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>You have to match these 2 together. If you immediately think of children in the local orphanage who don’t have exposure to the arts, and you play three instruments, start a program teaching music to these children. If families in a country you’ve been to don’t have adequate food, and you love biology, start a program planting community gardens in villages there. You get the idea.</p>
<p>Keep it simple and have tangible, attainable goals. Don’t assume you can solve world hunger or educate every child. Colleges would probably rather you helped your own community than one far away, all things being equal, but what is really important is that you focus on an issue you’re familiar with and care deeply about. So if you’re not nearly as passionate about local issues as you are about healthcare in India, that’s fine.</p>